Forgotten Paper Cranes
by Nexus Infinity
Summary: This world is dull without you here. You were the light of my life, the one thing that made me smile. But now...I can't even remember who you are. T for random fits of swearing and possible blood/violence references. OOC-warning.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Eto...What to put here...Well, for starters, I decided to post another MCA FF (obviously) because, well, I think MCA is pretty awesome. I'm not gonna lie; I have really no idea where this story will end up going nor do I really have a good idea of what I want in the story. However, I do know that this is kind of taking a weird "what-if" I thought of and dropping it straight into a story so...bear with me? q-q This is my "first" multi-chapter fanfic that I plan on writing, so...uh...please enjoy the prologue, the first chapter should be up in the next couple of days...and leave reviews. I'm not trying to be a review beggar, but when I see people looking at my work, but not saying anything or just following it 'cuz it looks vaguely interesting, it kind of irritates me. But, this author's note is getting too long, so read on.**

**Note: This is "AU" (in the sense that it doesn't follow canon) and expect OOC-ness. Lots of OOC-ness.**

**Started: 6/27/14**

**Finished: 6/29/14**

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Mekaku City Actors: Forgotten Paper Crane

Prologue: Dreaming Gears

3rd Person POV

_Chachachachachachacha_ **(don't judge me. I don't know what gears sound like -_-)**

The sound of metal scraping across metal was the only sound in the area. The sky was dark and only the white outlines of grey clouds gave any indication of light. The world below wasn't the Earth, but a huge network of gears and cogs that stretched as far as the eye could see; the golden wheels spun and spun without any source of power in sight. A slight wind flew through the area, causing a red scarf to be blown upwards. A hand moved to push away brown hair that got in the face of a girl. She stood facing outwards, gazing at the endlessly dreary sky.

"Well, I got to say you look bored out of your mind."

A male voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts or rather lack of thoughts. She couldn't see him, but she didn't need to. For some reason she could picture his blurred image without hesitation. His voice, his appearance, she knew their owner's name was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. She realized he was still waiting for her response as the wind blew in her face again.

"That's probably because I am bored. Life is just full of disappointment," she replied with a bored expression. Even though they faced away from each other she knew the boy could tell her expression easily. After hearing her words, she could picture him smirking to himself. He started chuckling softly, confirming her suspicions.

"Well y'know," he started, "if we didn't find disappointment in our lives every now and again, then what would be the point of living?" 'There he goes being all smart again,' the girl thought. The boy took no notice as he continued, "If you don't experience a variety of emotions, then life will feel stagnant. You just continue living the same thing over and over again. It would be no better than living in a dream…"

"But…what if you can't feel different emotions? What if the world has already lost it's color?" the girl asked as tears welled up in her eyes. The boy remained silent for a moment.

"…Are you referring to me?" Tears started dropping at the boy's words; the girl cried as her heart yearned. It yearned to turn around and face the boy, to run up to him and never let him go again. But fate was unwilling to allow her to do so. She smiled bitterly at the cogs below.

"Of course I am. Who else would I be talking about? After all…after *sniff* all…" she couldn't bring herself to say the words. "Maybe I should just forget…Forgetting sounds like a much simpler path. There's so much less pain when you forget every-"

"Stop right there." The girl's head snapped up surprised from the instant reaction of the boy. He continued in a softer, but still serious tone. "If the world is so unbearable to live in, then find a way to bring the color back." The girl scoffed.

"And how am I supposed to do that if I can't remember what made my world monochrome in the first place?"

"Well for one, actually try looking around." The girl bit back a remark. "And…maybe believe." She held back a gasp. "Believe in the brighter future, one where everything is colorful." Now she held back more tears threatening to fall. "And one more thing…"

The girl finally turned around and was met with a flash of light. She covered her eyes with her arms, but still heard the boy's words.

""**Don't forget about today Ayano."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Oh my gosh. Oh my actual gosh. People actually looked at this. I...I don't know what to say really. Well, actually yes I do: THANK YOU FOR READING :D I read the reviews, and well, I feel like I'm gonna let some people down. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna turn the story into a mess or something. It's just...I'm not meeting my own expectations of writing long chapters and you guys have expectations. Expectations are scary. Anyways, time to honourably mention the people that did stuff.**

** anon: Eto...Confusion will be very common when reading this story. I know I'm already confused.**

** Writer of Illusion: First actual person with a profile to review my stories. Thanks! Uhh...Well, your guess is right and wrong at the same time, but I can't say more because of spoilers. I'll make the situation clear within the next few chapters though.**

**Thanks to Hana Kijimuta, Rukaru Hika Bondkeeper, and naruto qweqe for the favorites/follows.**

**Started: 6/29/14**

**Finished: 7/1/14**

**Note: Very OOC Ayano in bound.**

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Mekaku City Actors: Forgotten Paper Crane

Chapter One: My Horrible Everyday Morning

Ayano's POV

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

"Master! Wake up! Master! Wake up! Mas-!"

I brought my hand down on my phone and shut it off. I could only mentally spew curses at the thing for interrupting my sleep; I was planning to wake up at 10, not…I checked the phone's clock just to be safe. Big mistake.

"MASTER! DON'T JUST TURN ME OFF!" I was promptly met with a blue girl screaming at my face. No, I don't mean a really depressed girl; I literally mean she's blue. Blue sweatshirt, blue highlights…blue facial markings, blue twin tails, blue eyes…You get the idea.

"Takane, how many times have I-"

"ENE! My name is Ene! E-N-E!"

"Right, _sorry Ene_," I sarcastically apologize, "Anyway, how many times have I told you **not** to wake me up too early?" Speaking of which, I checked my phone's clock for the time.

It was 7:30 AM. I glared a little harder at Ene who was scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Ummm…Under a hundred?"

_Click_. I close the annoying app on my phone and Ene screams as she disintegrates. My expression does change from bored in the slightest. After all, she'll be back tomorrow.

"I really got to get Takane to stop hacking my phone with that app."

Takane happens to be an old friend of mine. We met in my first year of high school. She's a grade above myself and is studying to be a programmer. Unfortunately, I seem to be the target for her "test apps" as she calls them. Though I can't blame her for anyways sending Ene after me, especially with how I am…

With Ene not blaring every alarm my phone has and my little trip down memory lane complete, I turned over and let myself fall back into sleep. I love the feel of darkness enveloping my consciousness; it makes me feel free of the hassles and pains of the waki-

_SLAM_

"Gooooooooooooood morning my lovely daughter!"

Are you *beep*ing kidding me?! Well, I could always…

"Are you ready to face the day Ayano?! Come now, the world is awaiting your glorious presence to grace us all-!"

I quickly pulled out the emergency Nerf gun I kept by my bedside and proceeded to shoot my dad in the head with it. Naturally, he fell to the floor in the most overly dramatic way possible, a river of tears and all. I only scoffed and put the gun away. Great, now I'm too awake to go back to sleep. Another reason why today sucks.

My dad decided now was a great time to let his presence be known again. He fake-coughed into his fist before looking at me with a more serious expression.

"Really now Ayano. Are you going to spend another day cooped up in this room? It's been…what, almost two years since you dropped out-"

"I never dropped out. I just decided not to go to school is all. By the way, the next two weeks' assignments are on my desk." He walked over to the desk and grabbed a rather large stack of papers and notebooks from it, looking a bit confused.

"You did the whole biology paper I assigned you two days ago?" I only stared at him from the bed; he got the message perfectly. "Right, I see. Now back to my earlier point-" I groaned and he wasn't happy about that, "-it's been two years since you stopped attending school and really interacting with people. Now, I can't really complain about your grades anymore, considering you are over-excelling in that regard, but what about being social?" My eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "You've stopped directly talking to Takane and Haruka, you stopped talking to your siblings after they moved out, you've stopped going out of this house…" He paused to catch his breath and maintain his emotions; I wish I could do that right now. I can feel where he's going with this and if he does go there- "What would Shintaro think if he-"

"SHUT UP! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" My dad bolted from my room as I screamed at his retreating figure. It's not that my dad is scared of me or anything; it's just that…he knows that he touched a sensitive subject. After I was sure he was downstairs, I let my tears fall to my lap. I was sobbing, and can you really blame me? After what happened between us?

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**If it feels like I cliff-hanged the end, I was gonna add the flashback sequence but decided against it. That will be the next chapter. Anyways...review, tell me what you think of my writing/characterization, and...yeah. Have a good day folks :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I really have no excuse for being so late. Life's been...well, it's been better, and I've not really had the best motivational streak lately. But seriously, I suppose I should thank whoever kept/is keeping up with this. I can't give any guarantees that runts like this won't happen again, but hopefully not. ANYWAYS...the poll that I've had up for about...what, two-three weeks? was...a tie. Yep, so actually the original ideas got scraped in place of separating the flashbacks. So...yeah. Enjoy this flashback chapter. I'm not giving any guarantees about the quality since flashbacks aren't my thing, but...it's something. Please enjoy.**

**Thanks to KagerouFAn, Lord Hydra, Mew SunsetStar, stealthclaw, and Mezame Kora for the Faves/Follows**

**Started: 7/1/14**

**Restarted: 7/8/14**

**Finished: 7/21/14**

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Mekaku City Actors: Forgotten Paper Crane

Chapter Two: Middle School and Prince (Not So) Charming

Ayano's POV (Most of it is thought)

*Flashback*

Ah, it's such a beautiful day today~! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the sakuras are in bloom. It's such a good omen for the start of my middle school year! My steps are lighter and I just feel like taking a deep breath and-

_COUGH COUGH COUGH_

Bleh, I think I swallowed a stray sakura petal. Maybe I should just focus on getting to school on time. I pulled my red scarf a little bit higher over my face as I continued along the path, my smile still on my face.

"Let's all be friends!" I finish my introduction with a bow as the class claps. I can't exactly tell if they're being honest, but it makes me feel nice to be acknowledged at least. I sit back down as the rest of the class introduces themselves. This first day is going so well-

"Shintaro Kisaragi. Now leave me alone."

I could almost feel the river of tears rolling down my face as my daydreams of bliss were cut short again. I could only smile and encourage myself mentally as I tried to not slam my face into the desk.

"Now then let's get started with the lessons," the teacher called out as the class got their books out. As I got mine out of my book bag, I looked to my left; the guy that wanted to be left alone, Shintaro, had his book out already and was looking out the window with a bored expression. Nothing about him gave off a feeling of uniqueness or of superiority; he seemed perfectly content with just sitting there, being utterly normal and letting the world pass him by.

So then what was with those depressed eyes?

"Alright then. We'll stop here for now. Go take your lunch break class." The teacher closed his book and left the classroom, leaving us students on our own. The sound of seats being pushed aside and the others running out into the hall assaulted my ears for a good minute before everything was quiet again. I sighed and closed my book too, but I stopped when I was about to put it away. I saw Shintaro still sitting there, staring out into the blue sky. He still wore that bored expression and I could still see some sadness mixed in it. It was tearing at my heart to see him like that…

"Hey…Shintaro, right?" Why did I talk to him? His eyes locked with mine and it was painfully obvious to even myself that he wasn't really pleased with my interruption; his voice mirrored his ice-cold demeanor.

"What?" 'So cold I think I'm getting chills in spring,' I thought bitterly; he really was bent on staying alone huh. Wait, why did I even talk to him…? Uhhh…Think Ayano think…

"Well, you looked lonely so I wanted to know if I could eat lunch with you?" I mentally face palmed hard. His stare just got colder.

"No. Leave me alone." With that, he turned back to the window. I only sighed and gathered my stuff to go find somewhere else to eat since Shintaro obviously didn't want anything to do with me. But why does that bother me so much…?  
-

"Waaaaaaaah…" I can't stop my river of tears today. This is too much even for me to remain happy about. What happened?  
I got a 15/100.

On the **first test** of the year.

That's it. I think I'll just keep my head down for the rest of the day.

"Alright class, we'll start again after the weekend. Class dismissed for lunch."

With the bell ringing, lunch once again brought about the flood of people leaving the classroom. It's been about a week since that first lunch when I talked to Shintaro and he's just as quiet as ever.

And yet I failed to notice Shintaro looking at my slack body as I cried over the desk.

"What're you crying about?"  
I looked over to the left and noticed that Shintaro asked me something with a somewhat concerned face. I just sniffled.

"I did badly on the test," I sighed while handing him my paper. He just looked at me quizzically.

"Oh come on it can't be that ba-" He must've seen the score since he started glaring at me. "How did you manage to get such a low score on stuff you should already know?!"

"I'm…not that smart?" He facepalmed.

"Look, it's pretty simple," he started while moving his desk a little closer to mine. In an attempt to not seem rude, I sat up a little at looked at the paper as he explained the steps.

…

"And that's how you solve the last problem. Do you understand?" Shintaro asked me as he put the paper down. I nodded, finishing up the last few notes I wrote about his explanation.

"Wow…what I missed actually makes sense now." I looked up at Shintaro with newfound respect and awe; he responded by grimacing and turning away. I simply smiled more. "You must be a genius huh?"

Shintaro only grunted in response.

The final bell of the day rang, signaling the start of the second student rush of the day. Both Shintaro and I waited for the river of students to wane; after about ten minutes we finally exited the school yard.

"So Shintaro," I began, hoping to start a conversation, "why did you help me earlier today?"

"I helped you because I didn't want to listen to you sob through lunch." I think my cheeks are burning from the memory of that.

"But you still didn't have to help me. You could've just left me…" I trail off near the end; Shintaro doesn't respond and I wonder if he just didn't hear me. I'm about to ask, but he beats me to it.

"Well I did help you and that's done." We both walked in silence afterwards, the conversation dying. As we approached a bridge, Shintaro stopped. I looked at him quizzically.

"…Why are you following me home?"

I blinked. "I live that way," I say while pointing to the left. Shintaro sighed in relief.

"Oh good. For a second I thought you lived across the street from me or something." He started walking across the bridge.

"See you tomorrow Shintaro!" He didn't even wave back at me! Pouting, I decided to tell him one last thing…

"And I'm your friend now, so I'll be talking to you a lot more!" This gets him to nearly trip as I run past him towards my own home. I can kind of make out some not so nice words, but I'm sure he doesn't mean them. I stop right outside my house door and catch my breath.

'He may not be Prince Charming but he's still a really nice guy,' I think with a huge smile on my face.

Middle school isn't so bad.

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**Somewhere down the line I forgot the original intention, but whatever. Hopefully it doesn't take me forever to update next time. No promises though.**

**I like that people are favoriting/following my story, but I'd really like reviews too QQ I wanna hear what you guys think.**


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